Most reliable cars 2018 – Japanese brands continue to dominate

Japanese carsâ€™ reputation for reliability is well-earned, according to the latest study.

Four of the five most reliable models in Britain are from Japanese brands, with Suzuki claiming the crown as most dependable manufacturer.

The results of the latest What Car? Reliability Survey show that while mainstream models from the Far East dominate the top of the table premium models from America and Britain are the least dependable, with Tesla and Land Rover performing poorly.

Most reliable cars

Position

Make

Reliability Ranking

=1

Toyota Yaris (2011 – Present)

100.0%

=1

Suzuki Sx4 S-Cross (2013 – Present)

100.0%

3

Nissan Leaf (2011 – 2017)

99.7%

4

Toyota RAV 4X4 (2013 – 2018)

99.6%

5

BMW 3 Series (2005 – 2014)

99.5%

In the study of cars less than four years old the Toyota Yaris and Suzuki SX-4 S-Cross proved to be the most reliable models – both scoring 100 per cent reliability. At the opposite end of the scale the Tesla Model S and Range Rover were the least reliable, with only 50.9 per cent and 67.3 per cent of models trouble-free in the last year.

The What Car? Reliability Survey rated 159 models spanning 31 brands based on feedback from more than 18,000 owners. It used information on the cost of repairs and how long a car was off the road to determine the reliability rating.

The Tesla Model S came bottom of the What Car? ratings

Overall, around 30 per cent said their car had suffered at least one fault in the past 12 months.

Of the ten most reliable brands only three – Skoda, Seat and Alfa Romeo – were from outside Japan or South Korea.

Least reliable cars

Position

Make

Reliability Ranking

1

Tesla Model S (2013 – Present)

50.9%

2

Land Rover Range Rover (2013 – present)

67.3%

3

Ford Edge Diesel (2016 – present)

70.7%

4

Land Rover Range Rover Evoque (2011 – present)

73.2%

5

Land Rover Discovery Sport (2015 – present)

74.7%

Steve Huntingford, editor of What Car?, said: â€œReliability is a huge consideration for any prospective car buyer, as your car is likely to be your second biggest monthly expense after mortgage or rent payments. You want your car to last and you donâ€™t want to have to fork out huge amounts to fix faults and keep it running.

â€œOur annual survey has shown that it is Japanese models that continue to dominate the top of the reliability rankings, both for car model and brand rankings.â€

A spokesperson for Tesla dismissed the What Car? findings, saying they were at odds with the brand’s own data: “Only 28 Model SÂ owners responded out of a total of 18,000 car owners surveyed by What Car?. Thatâ€™s less than 0.3 per cent of UK Tesla owners, so this survey is statistically meaningless. The results of this survey are also at odds not only with our internal figures showing customer satisfaction scores for Model S and X at well over 90 per cent, but with statistically valid surveys like ourÂ Net Promotor ScoreÂ and Consumer Reports customer satisfaction survey.”